Sizzlin' with The Cipher
Although it’s been awhile since the last post, rest assured The Cipher has not slowed down one bit. In fact, things are just barely heating up. 
With the generous proceeds collected from the fundraiser, the program has catapulted the youths into a summer packed with performances, community events, and even their first video shoot. To catch up on what’s been going down with The Cipher, here’s a recap of their super season so far:
April 19, 2008
Several members performed at the Grand Opening of Southwest Key’s new $8 million multi-use facility and national headquarters. Thousands came out to celebrate including Congressman Lloyd Doggett, Mayor Pro Tem Betty Dunkerley, and Pedro Garza, Regional Director for the Economic Development Administration. The new East Austin Community Center is home to not only the Boys and Girls Club of the Capital Area and the AMD Community Technology Center, it is also the meeting place for The Cipher’s bi-weekly sessions.
May 4, 2008
If you’re not from around these here parts, Sixth Street’s original name is actually Pecan Street. Twice a year, hundreds flock to The Old Pecan Street Festival for awesome artwork, crafts, tons of food, and of course, live music. The Cipher performed at Maggie Mae’s, rocking the crowd with their beats, rhymes, and poetry. [Blogger’s note: I’ve seen the Cipher crew perform a number of times and each time they get better and better; their confidence on stage increases with each performance and their high energy reverberates throughout the room – it’s a wonderful thing!]
May 31, 2008
At the Under 21 Poetry Slam Off held at Ruta Maya International Headquarters, several Cipher members competed in the final battle of the year. Cora Lee, Nick Cruz, and Telvi Altamirano left it all out on stage to vie for a spot representing Austin at the Brave New Voices Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival being held July 14-19 in Washington D.C. The competition was fierce, and although none of the Cipher poets made it on the team, our amazing Cipher supporters are doing everything they can so that they don’t miss out on the opportunity to experience the Festival. Want to help? Read more…
May 23-25, 2008
Renowned hip hop theater artist Zell Miller III invited The Cipher crew to perform for his third installment of Hip Hop Theater Explosion at the Vortex Theater. [Blogger’s note: I’ve been to all the installments and can easily say this is definitely a MUST-SEE show. It’s so good that it usually sells out all three days and people get turned away, having to wait for the next installment to come around.] So you can imagine the thrill and excitement The Cipher crew experienced performing for a packed house!
June 14, 2008
Bathed in delicious Dominican Joe coffee aromas, talent after talent moved the crowd through waves of emotions at the very first Say Anything Youth Open Mic night. Young artists, along with The Cipher poets, made us laugh, made us think, and made us fall in love with the passion they have for their art. Resident turntablist DJ Power Tripp, a 12-year-old from Leander, provided us and The Cipher MCs with proper beats and cuts. This bi-monthly event encourages young writers, rappers, singers, actors, and spoken word artists of Austin to take a risk and come rock the mic! The next performance will be Saturday June 28, 2008 from 4-7pm. For more information, read more…
Well that pretty much sums up all the Cipher activities up to today. In the upcoming blogs, we hope to get up close and personal with who exactly makes up The Cipher and what kind of influence the program has had on their lives. So stay tuned, The Cipher is constantly on the move and building up to the much-anticipated CD release. To everyone who has been a part of The Cipher’s incredible progress, thank you for believing!
With the generous proceeds collected from the fundraiser, the program has catapulted the youths into a summer packed with performances, community events, and even their first video shoot. To catch up on what’s been going down with The Cipher, here’s a recap of their super season so far:April 19, 2008
Several members performed at the Grand Opening of Southwest Key’s new $8 million multi-use facility and national headquarters. Thousands came out to celebrate including Congressman Lloyd Doggett, Mayor Pro Tem Betty Dunkerley, and Pedro Garza, Regional Director for the Economic Development Administration. The new East Austin Community Center is home to not only the Boys and Girls Club of the Capital Area and the AMD Community Technology Center, it is also the meeting place for The Cipher’s bi-weekly sessions.
May 4, 2008
If you’re not from around these here parts, Sixth Street’s original name is actually Pecan Street. Twice a year, hundreds flock to The Old Pecan Street Festival for awesome artwork, crafts, tons of food, and of course, live music. The Cipher performed at Maggie Mae’s, rocking the crowd with their beats, rhymes, and poetry. [Blogger’s note: I’ve seen the Cipher crew perform a number of times and each time they get better and better; their confidence on stage increases with each performance and their high energy reverberates throughout the room – it’s a wonderful thing!]
May 31, 2008
At the Under 21 Poetry Slam Off held at Ruta Maya International Headquarters, several Cipher members competed in the final battle of the year. Cora Lee, Nick Cruz, and Telvi Altamirano left it all out on stage to vie for a spot representing Austin at the Brave New Voices Annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival being held July 14-19 in Washington D.C. The competition was fierce, and although none of the Cipher poets made it on the team, our amazing Cipher supporters are doing everything they can so that they don’t miss out on the opportunity to experience the Festival. Want to help? Read more…
May 23-25, 2008
Renowned hip hop theater artist Zell Miller III invited The Cipher crew to perform for his third installment of Hip Hop Theater Explosion at the Vortex Theater. [Blogger’s note: I’ve been to all the installments and can easily say this is definitely a MUST-SEE show. It’s so good that it usually sells out all three days and people get turned away, having to wait for the next installment to come around.] So you can imagine the thrill and excitement The Cipher crew experienced performing for a packed house!
June 14, 2008
Bathed in delicious Dominican Joe coffee aromas, talent after talent moved the crowd through waves of emotions at the very first Say Anything Youth Open Mic night. Young artists, along with The Cipher poets, made us laugh, made us think, and made us fall in love with the passion they have for their art. Resident turntablist DJ Power Tripp, a 12-year-old from Leander, provided us and The Cipher MCs with proper beats and cuts. This bi-monthly event encourages young writers, rappers, singers, actors, and spoken word artists of Austin to take a risk and come rock the mic! The next performance will be Saturday June 28, 2008 from 4-7pm. For more information, read more…
Well that pretty much sums up all the Cipher activities up to today. In the upcoming blogs, we hope to get up close and personal with who exactly makes up The Cipher and what kind of influence the program has had on their lives. So stay tuned, The Cipher is constantly on the move and building up to the much-anticipated CD release. To everyone who has been a part of The Cipher’s incredible progress, thank you for believing!
posted by Cipher at
6:02 PM
1 Comments
